Podcast

September 2013

Heart Health on World Heart Day - 9/29/2013

Sunday, September 29, is World Heart Day. It's a special day set aside by global health officials to draw awareness to the world's two leading causes of death, cardiovascular disease and stroke. The President of the American Heart Association joins us today to talk about heart disease and how we can keep ourselves heart healthy.
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This week, astronomers announced that they have spotted an ultra-compact dwarf galaxy some 60 light years from Earth.
A race track became a classroom for some Maryland students as they learned about science and engineering from open top Indy race cars.
The rooftop of a hotel in Thailand has been turned into an unusual farm for freshwater algae. Proponents tout the algae as a superfood.
Scientists have moved a step closer toward developing a universal vaccine against seasonal influenza.
More than a year after a locust plague was declared in Madagascar, a control program finally is about to begin.

Last week NASA announced an historic first. A space probe it launched 36 years ago became the first ever human-made object to sail out of our solar system and into the space between the stars. Today we talk with Dr. Edward Stone, a man who has played a very important role in the Voyager program since its inception.
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This past Wednesday NASA launched a new private rocket from its Mid-Atlantic Spaceport that will bring supplies to the International Space Station. Suzanne Presto fills us in with the details.
3D printers give consumers the chance to bring ideas sketched on paper turned into real physical objects in a matter of hours. Elizabeth Lee will tell us more.
Biofuels have become a very popular alternative to fossil based fuels. Jan Sluizer reports that there's a new and promising source for biodiesel fuel -- algae.
And, Richard Paul has a story about a unique calling card the Voyager has strapped to its side. It's a golden record that contains a variety of music and sounds of Earth. It was meant as a way to introduce our planet to any aliens that might come in contact with the Voyager.

September 13, 2013 - Arctic Ice Better than Last Year, But Ice Free Arctic Still Possible

Voyager 1, a NASA probe launched in the 1970's makes history as the first human-made object to leave the solar system.
The U.S. technology giant Apple unveils two new iPhone models.
The World Bank has released new reports outlining the health challenges facing six major regions.
Pumping underground water for thirsty cities and crops can pull in arsenic from nearby polluted water sources but a new study shows that the contamination moves much more slowly than previously feared.
Satellite technology has revealed that the drought-stricken Turkana region of northern Kenya lies atop two giant underground lakes, or aquifers.
And although the Arctic Sea Ice extent didn't melt as much as it last year experts say some day in this century, the Arctic sea will spend a summer completely ice-free.

Bill Carey of the software company Siber Systems, creators of the internet password manager Roboform talks about computer hacking, how to protect yourself from cybercrime.
Also…
• New research shows that humans and the potentially lethal disease tuberculosis have grown and evolved side-by-side.
• NASA is sending a new probe to the moon. It’s called the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer or LADEE.
• Japan's government says it will take the lead in trying to stem the leaks of highly radioactive water at the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.
• Scientists in New Hampshire say they have found a link between anasteroid or comet impact and a global climate change event that took place nearly 13,000 years ago.
• As firefighters battle dozens of fires in the Western United States, a new study finds that more wildfires are expected in a wider range for a longer time in the future.

Science World begins after the newscast on Friday at 2200, Saturday at 0300, 1100 and 1900 and Sunday at 0100, 0400, 0900, 1100 and 1200. The program may also be heard on some VOA affiliates after the news on Saturday at 0900 and 1100. (All times UTC).

Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

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Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

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Fifty years ago, lawmakers approved, and U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The measure outlawed racial discrimination in voting, giving millions of blacks in many parts of the southern United States federal enforcement of the right to vote. Correspondent Chris Simkins introduces us to some civil rights leaders who were on the front lines in the struggle for voting rights.

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Billions of dollars of so-called ‘dirty money’ from the proceeds of crime - especially from Russia - are being laundered through the London property market, according to anti-corruption activists. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the British capital, the government has pledged to crack down on the practice.

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Ottawa, Illinois, is the hometown of W.D. Boyce, who founded the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. In Ottawa, where Scouting remains an important part of the legacy of the community, the end of the organization's ban on openly gay adult leaders was seen as inevitable. VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports.

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Artificial limbs, including the most complex of them – the human hand – are getting more life-like and useful due to constant advances in tiny hydraulic, pneumatic and electric motors called actuators. But now, as VOA’s George Putic reports, scientists in Germany say the future of the prosthetic hand may lie not in motors but in wires that can ‘remember’ their shape.

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A British pro-democracy group has accused Russia of abusing the global law enforcement agency Interpol by requesting the arrest and extradition of political opponents. A new report by the group notes such requests can mean the accused are unable to travel and are often unable to open bank accounts. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

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Talks on a major new trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim nations are said to be nearing completion in Hawaii. Some trade experts say the "positive atmosphere" at the discussions could mean a deal is within reach, but there is still hard bargaining to be done over many issues and products, including U.S. drugs and Japanese rice. VOA's Jim Randle reports.

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Earth is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction. The last such event was caused by an asteroid 66 million years ago. It killed off the dinosaurs and practically everything else. So scientists are in a race against time to classify the estimated 11 million species alive today. So far only 2 million are described by science, and researchers are worried many will disappear before they even have a name. VOA’s Rosanne Skirble reports.

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Scientists have long been trying to develop an effective protection and cure for malaria - one of the deadliest diseases that affects people in tropical areas, especially children. As the World Health Organization announces plans to begin clinical trials of a promising new vaccine, scientists in South Africa report that they too are at an important threshold. George Putic reports, they are testing a compound that could be a single-dose cure for malaria.

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The latest issue of 'New York' magazine features 35 women who say they were drugged and raped by film and television celebrity Bill Cosby. The women are aged from 44 to 80 and come from different walks of life and races. The magazine interviewed each of them separately, but Zlatica Hoke reports their stories are similar.

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The United States is promising not to give up its fight against what Secretary of State John Kerry calls the “scourge” of modern slavery. Officials released the country’s annual human trafficking report Monday – a report that’s being met with some criticism. VOA’s National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin has more from the State Department.

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Abandoned more than 50 years ago, the underground streetcar station in Washington D.C.’s historic DuPont Circle district is about to be reborn. The plan calls for turning the spacious underground platforms - once meant to be a transportation hub, - into a unique space for art exhibitions, presentations, concerts and even a film set. Roman Mamonov has more from beneath the streets of the U.S. capital. Joy Wagner narrates his report.

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Greece has replaced Italy as the main gateway for migrants into Europe, with more than 100,000 arrivals in the first six months of 2015. Many want to move further into Europe and escape Greece’s economic crisis, but they face widespread dangers on the journey overland through the Balkans. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

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After the closure of a major rubbish dump a week ago, the streets of Beirut are filling up with trash. Having failed to draw up a plan B, politicians are struggling to deal with the problem. John Owens has more for VOA from Beirut.

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A U.N. climate conference in December aims to produce an ambitious agreement to fight heat-trapping greenhouse gases. But many local governments are not waiting, and have drafted their own climate action plans. That’s the case with Paris — which is getting special attention, since it’s hosting the climate summit. Lisa Bryant takes a look for VOA at the transformation of the French capital into an eco-city.